The yearbook felt heavier than it should have.
Haru held it close to his chest as he and Sora stepped out of the archives. The golden light of the setting sun filtered through the corridor windows, illuminating dust particles that floated like fragments of forgotten time.
Neither of them spoke.
They didn't need to.
The photograph had already said everything.
"Tachibana Yuki…" Sora whispered at last.
Haru nodded. "She was real. She lived… and she died."
"And yet she returned," Sora murmured. "Living in the days you wasted."
Haru's grip tightened around the yearbook.
"Not wasted," he said quietly. "Given."
Sora glanced at him but said nothing.
The Walk Home
The sky was painted in soft shades of orange and violet as they left the school grounds. Cherry blossom petals drifted gently in the wind, settling along the quiet path home.
"Haru," Sora said, breaking the silence. "Do you remember everything now?"
He shook his head.
"Not everything. Just fragments… like pieces of a broken mirror."
"What do you remember?"
Haru looked up at the blossoms.
"A girl beneath a sakura tree," he said softly. "She was smiling, but she looked so fragile. Like she might disappear at any moment."
Sora listened carefully.
"And you made a promise to her."
"…Yeah."
His voice trembled slightly.
"I told her she could borrow my tomorrows."
Sora lowered her gaze.
"You were just a child."
"Maybe," Haru replied. "But I meant every word."
Fragments of a Forgotten Spring
That night, Haru lay awake in his room, staring at the ceiling.
The yearbook rested beside him on his desk, opened to the photograph.
The girl with long black hair smiled gently from the page.
Tachibana Yuki.
As he gazed at her, the memories returned—clearer this time.
Ten Years Ago*
The sky was a brilliant shade of blue, dotted with drifting cherry blossoms.
Laughter echoed through the park where children ran beneath blooming sakura trees.
A younger Haru chased a petal through the air before it landed gently in his hand.
"That's lucky," a soft voice said.
He turned to see a girl sitting beneath a tree.
Her hair flowed like silk in the spring breeze, and her gentle eyes shimmered with warmth.
"You caught a falling blossom," she continued. "That means your wish might come true."
Haru blinked. "Really?"
She nodded with a faint smile.
"That's what my mother used to tell me."
"What's your name?" he asked.
"Tachibana Yuki," she replied.
"I'm Kisaragi Haru!"
He grinned brightly. "Nice to meet you!"
A Fragile Friendship
They spent the afternoon together, talking and laughing beneath the cherry blossoms.
Yuki's laughter was soft but sincere, like wind chimes in a gentle breeze.
Yet Haru noticed something strange.
"You don't run like the others," he said.
She looked away.
"I can't."
"Why not?"
"My heart is weak," she admitted quietly. "The doctors say I get tired easily."
Haru frowned.
"That's not fair."
Yuki giggled. "Life isn't always fair."
"But you're still smiling."
"Because I want to."
She picked up a fallen petal and held it carefully.
"Cherry blossoms bloom beautifully… even though they fall so quickly."
The Promise
Days passed, and Haru visited her whenever he could.
They read books together, shared stories, and watched the petals fall from the sakura tree.
One afternoon, Yuki's expression turned solemn.
"Haru," she said softly, "what would you do if I disappeared?"
He stared at her. "Disappear? Like magic?"
"Maybe."
He shook his head. "I wouldn't let that happen."
She smiled sadly.
"Some things can't be stopped."
Haru clenched his fists.
"Then I'll give you my days!"
Her eyes widened. "Your days?"
"Yeah!" he declared. "You can borrow my tomorrows! I don't mind!"
Yuki giggled.
"You're strange."
"Then promise me," he insisted, holding out his pinky. "If you disappear, come back someday."
She hesitated before linking her pinky with his.
"…Okay," she whispered. "It's a promise."
The wind carried petals around them as their small fingers intertwined.
A promise made beneath falling blossoms.
The Final Goodbye
One day, Haru returned to the park—but Yuki wasn't there.
Instead, he found a letter placed gently beneath the sakura tree.
Dear Haru,
Thank you for spending time with me. Because of you, I was never lonely.
If I disappear, don't be sad. Please live happily for the both of us.
And if miracles exist… I hope we meet again.
—Yuki
Young Haru clutched the letter tightly, tears streaming down his cheeks.
"I'll wait for you," he whispered.
"Even if it takes forever."
Back to the Present*
Haru opened his eyes.
Tears glistened silently on his cheeks.
"So that's how it was," he murmured.
He looked at the photograph again, his heart steady despite the ache within it.
"You kept your promise, Yuki."
A gentle breeze drifted through his open window, rustling the pages of the yearbook.
For a fleeting moment, he thought he heard her voice.
"And you kept yours."
He sat upright, his heart racing.
"…Yuki?"
But the room was empty.
Only the moonlight remained.
A New Resolve
The next morning, Haru met Sora beneath the blooming sakura trees near the school.
Her eyes searched his face.
"You remembered everything, didn't you?"
He nodded.
"Yeah. We met ten years ago. She was sick… and I promised her my tomorrows."
Sora's expression softened.
"So that's why she exists."
"Yes."
Haru looked at the drifting petals, determination shining in his eyes.
"She isn't just a memory. She's a miracle born from a promise."
"And what will you do now?" Sora asked.
He smiled gently.
"I'll save her."
Sora sighed, crossing her arms.
"You're impossible."
"Maybe."
She smiled faintly.
"…But you won't do it alone."
Haru chuckled. "Thanks, Sora."
Together, they watched the petals fall.
Each one a reminder of the past.
Each one a promise of tomorrow.
End of Chapter 10.
Next Chapter: Chapter 11 – The Pinky Promise Beneath the Sakura Tree